Allison Janney

From KCpedia

A member of the Kenyon College Class of 1982, Allison Janney is an award-winning actress and one of the school's best-known alumni.

Contents 1 Early Life and Years at Kenyon 2 Her Early Acting Career 3 The West Wing and Other Notable Roles 4 Awards 5 Resources in the Kenyon College Archives 6 External Resources

Early Life and Years at Kenyon

Janney was born in Dayton, Ohio on November 11, 1959. She attended The Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio, where she was named a distinguished alum in 2004 and the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. She came to Kenyon College in 1978 intending to major in psychology. However, when Janney discovered one of her required psychology courses involved rats, she changed her plans and decided to become a Drama major.

Janney's first role at Kenyon was a small part in the debut of C.C. Pyle & the Bunion Derby by Michael Cristofer, directed by Paul Newman, Kenyon Class of 1949. C.C. Pyle was a lavish production. A world premiere of an original play, it was performed in the newly opened Bolton Theater and featured professional actors as well as students. Receiving a part in the show was no small honor for Janney. This production marked the beginning of her long-standing friendship with Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward, both of whom strongly influenced her decision to become a professional actress. In fact, it was Woodward's suggestion that led to Janney pursuing post-graduate acting studies at the presitigious Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Speaking to the Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin in 1998, Janney directly credited Newman with the path her career has taken, stating that she is an actress "because Paul Newman went to Kenyon College."

While at Kenyon, Janney was an extremely popular actress, and was involved in at least 14 productions during her four years at Kenyon. Her roles included the minor part of Ursula (a serving woman) in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Arkadina in Anton Checkov's The Seagull, one of her favorite roles of her college career.

Her Early Acting Career

Janney faced many obstacles as a young actress attempting to find roles in New York City after completing her studies. The most discussed of these challenges was her height. Famously, one casting agent told a young Janney that with her six foot tall height, the only roles she could expect to be cast in were "lesbians and aliens." When she attempted to point out that plenty of famous actresses were tall, like Sigourney Weaver and Kelly McGillis, the casting agent replied: "But those women have something in common. They're drop-dead gorgeous."

While such stories may seem humorous now, in light of Janney's remarkable success and critical acclaim, for a young actress trying to make her way in a difficult business, such experiences were extremely difficult. Speaking frankly about those early years to the Alumni Bulletin, Janney said: "People can say such brutal things, just brutal ... People would always tell me how great I was and that I was so talented, yet the business side didn't want me. Nobody. You have to be so dedicated and want it so badly. Otherwise, you'll just die. I don't know how I made it through those early years."

During this first early dry-spell, Janney supported herself waitressing and scooping ice cream. Like many New York actresses, she found some her first paying roles on soap operas, doing comedic roles on both "As the World Turns" and "Guiding Light" in the early '90s. Simultaneously, she was building up her experience and reputation doing roles in small shows off-Broadway. Her big break didn't come until 1996, when she appeared in her first Broadway show, as the lead in Noel Coward's play Present Laughter, and received her first major film role as Ann in Stanely Tucci's critically acclaimed film Big Night. Finally, more than ten years after her graduation from Kenyon, Janney had arrived. Her role in Present Laughter resulted in both a Theatre World award and a Drama Desk Outstanding Actress nomination. Moreover, it brought her to the attention of director Michael Mayer, who cast her as Beatrice in his revival of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge-- a performance which in turn won her a Tony nomination and the Drama Desk award she had lost out on in 1997.

The West Wing and Other Notable Roles

Her work in Tucci's Big Night, meanwhile, resulted in a slew of new film work for Janney, including major roles in Ang Lee's critically acclaimed film The Ice Storm and American Beauty, the recipient of 1999 Academy Award for Best Picture.

In addition to these serious roles, Janney was also much in demand as a comic actress. During the late '90s, she appeared in a number of popular films, playing character parts in Primary Colors, Drop Dead Gorgeous, 10 Things I Hate About You, and others. Because of her affinity for physical comedy (a trait which was present even during her time at Kenyon), Janney became what she refered to in her Alumni Bulletin interview as "the trailer queen" because: ""No matter how small my part is, I'm always in the trailer."

Her skill with slapstick and excellent comic timing make even her small roles in these somewhat forgetable movies quite memorable and, in fact, it was her brief appearance as the head of a literary-program in Primary Colors that first brought her to the attention of Aaron Sorkin, the creator of The West Wing. Speaking to People Magazine in a spotlight piece on Janney, Sorkin stated that: "When Allison fell down the stairs in Primary Colors, she really captured my heart," and in February 1999, he cast her as White House press secretary C.J. Cregg in his now-beloved drama series The West Wing.

Janney played the role of Cregg for all seven seasons of the show, from 1999 -2006, and received four Emmy awards for the part, three for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and one for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series, in 2004. Additionally, she also received multiple Screen Actors Guild awards, Golden Globe nominations, and other critical awards, both for her work on The West Wing and in films such as The Hours and American Beauty.

Her upcoming roles in Hairspray, Juno, Margaret and a potential sitcom in the works at CBS demonstrate that skill and versatility are still Allison Janney's key qualities as an actress.

Awards

A critically-aclaimed actress, Janney has won numerous awards, including multiple Emmys, for her exceptional work on both stage and screen.

• 1997 Theatre World Award - Present Laughter
• 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play - A View from the Bridge
• 2000 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - The West Wing
• 2000 Screen Actors Guild Award for Oustanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - American Beauty
• 2001 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - The West Wing
• 2001 Screen Actors Guild Award for Oustanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series - The West Wing
• 2001 Screen Actors Guild Award for Oustanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series - The West Wing
• 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - The West Wing
• 2002 Screen Actors Guild Award for Oustanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series - The West Wing
• 2002 Screen Actors Guild Award for Oustanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series - The West Wing
• 2004 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - The West Wing

Resources in the Kenyon College Archives

• Allison Janney -- collected materials

External Resources

• Allison Janney's Internet Movie Database page
• Allison Janney's Internet Broadway Database page
• Allison Janney's Wikipedia Entry
• Collected Articles on Allison Janney's Fansite